#or dropping the dialogue tag altogether. youre allowed to do that too.

[angstymarshmallow]

pillow talk - (griffin x mc)

[A little note: I wanted to write something desperately after that Griffin scene this week. I took small pieces of dialogue from their scene and this really isn’t much apart from just an indulgence.] [Words Counted: 1809] [Tags: @brightpinkpeppercorn, @choicesthot]

Time seemed to always pass differently when Rhia wasn’t awake. She could no longer count the seconds, the minutes, the hours as she had done countless of times for other things in her life and her usually very rigid – very precise sleep schedule was short-lived compared to the remainder of hours which she accustomed and dedicated to learning new spells and adventures with her friends.

But tonight, had been an entirely different story. For the first time since childhood, Rhia knew roughly how many hours she spent locked in Griffin’s embrace because the hours weren’t enough. She longed for sleep again so she could spend a few more precious hours pressed against him, listening to his heart.

Her body’s auto-pilotness allowed her mind to drift and wander until her thoughts stumbled back to last night.

She remembered most of it – the images came within a flurry before she was able to make sense of the entire picture. She remembered how natural it felt to take his hand and entwine their fingers together on their walk back to her dorm. She remembered the flutter of nerves colliding inside her stomach while her heart spiked; it was beating too fast for her to keep up with their conversation. She remembered their almost tangible enthusiasm to get rid of each other’s clothes once they were finally alone. And his eagerness that pressed hotly by her hip before his mouth found the valley of breasts before finding other sensitive areas from her newly exposed skin.

She recalled, quite plainly the shiver of delight that accompanied the undeniable truth. It seemed to echo somewhere deep in her heart. She wanted him – wanted him more than she had ever wanted anyone else. There was no going back to being just friends.

As her eyes drifted down the length of his body, those images continued to stir something inside her. The arms around her had shown her how to move, how to guide her hips back and forth into him.  She remembered urging him to take the lead and clenching her fingers against his naked back as every touch sent her into a tailspin. She remembered gasping his name and drawing blood when she bit her lips to stop herself from screaming until the tremors stopped.

God, he was perfect.

And Rhia was on cloud nine.

Despite how cliché she believed it to be, there was no other explanation as to the current ridiculously huge grin on her face as she kept her gaze solely on him. Involuntarily, she licked her lips while her eyes continued to drift lower.

She paused to observe the slight rise and fall of his chest until her temptation to touch him grew stronger than being satisfied with simply watching. Without giving herself a chance to second-guess, she splayed her fingers across its broadness, delighted as his muscles flexed beneath them.

A shiver went down her spine.

Rhia kept her hand there for a moment; more keenly aware of his heart than anything else in the room as she listened for its steady beat. After awhile and with a little bit of reluctance, she lifted them higher. When her fingers finally rested against to his cheek, she was startled to find Griffin’s eyes already open and staring intently at her.

“Uh,” She fumbled and her cheeks grew hot as she tried studiously to avoid his gaze. Don’t panic. She told herself sternly, although the sudden flutter in her stomach seemed to have other ideas. Just…look anywhere but at him. “So…” She tried to sound casual. “How long have you been awake, exactly?”

“Long enough to realize you’ve been secretly admiring me.” Griffin replied with a small smile. “It’s not so secret anymore though.” The corner of his mouth lifted further as her cheeks darkened with the telltale signs of a blush. “Did you know you’re completely adorable when you blush?”

She huffed.

“I take it, that’s a no?” He waited patiently for her to meet his eyes again before adding, “well then, let me be the first.” Then he dropped them slowly to her bare shoulders and then lower until Rhia’s stomach flipped.

Her breath caught. She tried to push past the sudden tightness and cleared her throat.

“You should be told. Regularly.” He met her bewildered stare with a wry grin. “You’re beautiful Rhia.”

Feeling flustered, Rhia ducked from under the weight of his stare and buried her face by his neck. “You keep saying things like that.” She uttered softly into his skin, “and I think I’m going to literally turn into a puddle. No magick necessary.”

A rumble started in his chest before eventually evolving into a full-blown laugh. “Oh no, I wouldn’t want to do that. I think I’d miss you too much if you were to suddenly turn into a puddle.”

Rhia rolled her eyes.

“I really would.” He continued insistently. “In fact, I think I’d miss your smile the most - it’s always like…staring into the sun.” She felt his cool hand drawing deep circles across her back and she shivered. “I’d definitely miss this too,” she heard his pause and he sucked in a breath before he continued to massage her skin, “as long as we’re agreeing to do this again.” He added. “I wouldn’t want to just assume – ”

And what does this mean to you, Griffin? She wanted to say the words but they remained buried – lodged within her throat as she swallowed heavily. To be honest, she was a little afraid of the answer, she was afraid she wanted it too much to mean more. “I would,” smoothening her features, Rhia pulled back enough to manage a small smile. “and I’d miss this too. I think I’d miss everything about you.”

She saw his eyes widen a little in shock before his lips quirked with the same reassurance, she knew him capable of. His grin was wide enough for her heart to ache at the sight.

“You say that now, but you didn’t know me last year.” Griffin tried to say jokingly but his voice had ended on nearly flat note.

Rhia didn’t miss it.

He trailed off and his smile faltered when he glanced away. “I didn’t have a lot of friends last year. So, it was all kind of a bummer - especially the dance. I didn’t even have a date.”

“Really? Wow.” Rhia was surprised. Griffin had always struck her as someone well put-together and likeable. The thought of him being alone - hurt. She couldn’t imagine the kind of person she would have been anymore if she hadn’t him – her friends with her from almost the very start.

There was just a quiet confidence to Griffin she assumed he always. And there were other things – his smile, the way his presence felt oddly comforting despite when they had hardly known each other. She was drawn to him, but the more of him she saw – the more she realized she had only seen glimpses into Griffin’s life and not the whole. She wanted to know more. “I didn’t know.”

“How could you?” His smile was back, although this time it wasn’t altogether quite himself. It hadn’t even reached his eyes. “You were attuneless a year ago.”

“That’s a very fair point,” She agreed. She cupped one of his cheeks though, forcing his gaze to linger on her. “This year will be different.” She promised. “You aren’t alone anymore.” You’ve got me.

“Yeah, if I get to spend time with you, that night is already going to be a guaranteed success.” She felt the ghost of his hands again, trailing upwards.

“Just by me being around?”

“Every second I’m with you has been….” He stopped as though looking for the right word. “Amazing,”

Smiling. Rhia knew what it was now. Griffin always had smiling eyes, and they were doing that now as he nuzzled into her open palm.

“Which is why I’ve been thinking,” a dull shade of red coloured his cheeks as he glanced away and momentarily shifted into silence.

“Uh, Griffin?” Rhia called out hesitantly. She slid her hand to his jaw and slowly tugged his attention back to her.

His eyes were lost in thought before he was smiling again and the uneasiness that had been building inside Rhia’s chest vanished.

Instead, she found herself leaning into him while she waited for him to speak.

“I’d be honored if you’d go as my date.”

“Griffin!” Rhia squealed his name; happiness bubbling inside her chest before she could control it. Heart slightly hammering, she dropped a kiss by his brow then another by his cheeks before finally kissing his lips. “I’d love to go with you.” She whispered against his them.

She felt his mouth widen against hers’, a soft o before she caught the flash of surprise in his eyes. “Really? You mean it?”

“Of course, I mean it!” She flicked his nose with affection. “There’s really no one else I’d rather go with, Griffin.” Because for her, it had always been him. “Even from the very beginning Griffin, it’s been you. You’ve always been there for me.”

Griffin drew a shaky breath and his shoulders sagged with relief.

It finally dawned on Rhia how much asking her must have weighed on him. She could even the feel the change in the air as tension begun dissolving from him. “Wow, were you really nervous about asking me?”

“You have no idea. It’s not everyday the girl you’ve been crushing on says yes.”

Rhia laughed, her cheeks slightly turning pink at his endearment. “Lucky for you then that she’s got a crush on you too.”

“Lucky me.” He agreed, grinning warmly at her. “I’ll do my best not to step on your toes by the way.”

It took a moment for her mind to switch gears and then she laughed. He was always good at making her laugh. She tried to picture dancing with him - but it was difficult for Rhia to imagine him struggling at anything. “I’m sure you’ll pick up the moves in no time.”

Beaming at her, Griffin planted a kiss on her brow.

She sunk further into his arms, and inhaled his scent. She never wanted to let go.

“I hate to say it, but I should probably get going. No matter how much I want to stay.”

Rhia angled her chin enough to her windowsill and saw the telltale signs of dawn finally gracing the horizon. Still, she didn’t want him to go. She had never wanted to so much for anyone to stay.

Her fingers dug into his skin from how tightly she was holding onto him before abruptly letting go. “Probably,” she sighed dejectedly. There would be other days. Other nights like this. At least she hoped there would be.

She rolled towards the other side of the bed and gave him enough room to stand.

Their clothes were discarded in nearly every direction and a lot of her furniture hadn’t faired too well either. Her lamp was turned on its side on the floor as well as several dozen books. She was lucky nothing serious broke.

It had taken them a little under half an hour to restore things back into working order before Rhia snuck him to the door. Thankfully Shreya was fast asleep and Atlas had spent the night on their couch – otherwise she was pretty certain this would have been a story she would never live down.

They stopped at the doorstep of her dorm and Griffin bent forward to close the gap between them. He kissed her goodbye. “Until tomorrow.” A pause. “Uh, I mean – until later.”

Smiling, Rhia tipped on her toes to lock her arms around his broad shoulders. She kiss him back. Her hands shifted slowly into his hair as he uttered a soft moan. She didn’t stop him from pulling her by her hips to rest snugly against him.

When they finally came up for air, she dropped her hands back to her sides. ““Until later then.”

Neither one of them moved, despite saying goodbye. She could feel how much he wanted to stay in his stare; the way his eyes never left her face as his hand moved to cup her cheek.

“I swear this is the longest goodbye I’ve ever seen.”

Rhia flushed at the sound of irritation coming from  the corner of the room; immediately breaking whatever spell that caused them to remain in each other’s orbit.

Blushing, they both sprung apart from each other at the same time. “I’ll be seeing you too, Atlas.” Griffin called out.

The only response was Atlas grunt as he turned to leave.

Resting her head against the door, Rhia watched him go.

There was a second when he stopped and glanced back behind him, a moment where their eyes locked and Rhia couldn’t look away. The radiance of his smile made her heart flutter, made it hard for her to suddenly breathe until he looked away. Then he waved before completely disappearing down the hall.

“...Is he going to be coming around often?” Atlas grumbled, interrupting Rhia’s day dreaming. “Because if so, we’re gonna need some ground rules.”

And the moment’s ruined. 

Closing the door quietly behind, Rhia purposely avoided her sister’s scrutinizing stare as she passed. “We’ll see.”

-

[aion-rsa]

Rick and Morty Season 5 Finale Review

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This RICK AND MORTY review contains spoilers.

Rick and Morty Season 5 Finale

It’s been a while, so let’s first recap the consistent problems with season five of Rick and Morty. Problem one is that characterization feels like it’s either pushed aside in favor of crazy, silly sci-fi nonsense or lost in a muddle of convoluted sci-fi nonsense. Problem two is that episodes are so overloaded with plot and dialogue delivered at such breakneck speed that there’s either no time for jokes or, packed in with everything else going on in these overstuffed episodes, they just don’t land. The missing characterization issue isn’t exclusive to season five, but the lack of laughs is; this has easily been the least-funny season yet.

Now, finally, after a month’s wait, we get the two-part season finale! Does it manage to avoid the problems that have haunted this season until now?

Not really! But some of it certainly looked cool.

“Forgetting Sarick Mortshall”

Though they’re both about testing the strength of Rick and Morty’s relationship and the first does directly lead into the next by virtue of… crows… these really are two separate episodes with two different focuses and tones. This first one is closer to a “normal” season five episode. Sure, it’s got Rick pissing Morty off so much that he goes off on his own anti-Rick adventure (with a dude fittingly named Nick), but, for the majority of the runtime, it’s not handled like it’s all that big of a deal.

Regardless, the inciting incident here of Morty accidentally getting portal juice on his hand, thus creating a portal in his hand that connects to Nick’s thigh is a really clever one. It’s unfortunate that an odd side effect of a series with a premise that allows for infinite sci-fi possibilities is that many concepts, no matter how much creative effort is put behind them, feel like retreads that fall into a similar category (e.g., the season premiere with its Narnia world that evolved at hyper-speed felt not entirely dissimilar from the sequence of Morty living an entire life in “The Vat of Acid Episode” which, in turn, felt not so dissimilar from that time he played Roy: A Life Well Lived). However, this portal in the hand thing feels totally new and fresh.

They get some good mileage out of it too, with some cool action sequences (like Jackie Chan!) and inspired moments like Morty making a dude eat shit, literally, by transferring the contents of a chamber pot by way of the hand/thigh portal system or when Nick takes control of the car Morty’s driving by sticking his hand through Morty’s portal hand. It’s also used smartly in the most effective dramatic moment in “Forgetting Sarick Mortshall” when Morty chooses to destroy his portal connection to Rick by placing his hand on a train track so that it’s severed off, and then drops the hand-portal into Nick’s thigh-portal to kill him. It’s all very clever, well-executed stuff, though, typing it out, it sure sounds weird.

How Morty comes to the decision to sever his hand and connection to Nick is less well-executed. It unfortunately brought to mind the episode with Planetina, perhaps the worst of season five, as in both episodes Morty realizes the person he’s spending time with ain’t so great because—shock horror—they’re cool with killing innocent people! Yes, Morty has a moral core, so it’s not like it doesn’t make some sense, but it’s just that, with the amount of people he and Rick murder out of petty anger or just by happenstance all the time, it feels like they need to sell his change of heart a little more.

The other half of this episode is about Rick replacing Morty with two crows, at first as a joke, but then he gradually comes to realize crows are actually cool and can teach him about empathy. The idea of it is that this “two crows” thing is engineered to be a silly, one-off inanity, but then the joke becomes so much more as the writers sincerely explore the concept. However, it never really successfully elevates itself above its initial inane premise. I still just found myself thinking “What is this crow bullshit? Why crows?”

It’s also becoming a bit of a predictable Rick and Morty staple that characters that appear incidental at first actually have a whole society and way of life we get to learn all about (the face-huggers, the Narnia people, the Chuds). It’s an obvious plot device to return to seeing as this is a sci-fi series about visiting new universes and alien worlds all the time, so it would be irrational to suggest they stop doing it altogether, but did this particular plot really need to go in that direction? The introduction of the crow society comes out of nowhere and it isn’t convincing that Rick decides to follow a path of empathy with his two crows right after he just killed a whole bunch of other crows. Anyway, the only thing that makes the crow plot “interesting” is that the writers commit to it so hard it carries into the next episode.

Season five style, “Forgetting Sarick Mortshall,” is not funny. I chuckled at the very last moment in the tag when Garbage Goober said “Mmm, trash, I love trash” and I smiled at Rick’s (possibly improv’d) rant about watching sitcoms on your shoes, but that was about it. Still, at least there were the aforementioned clever moments and it got a tiny bit emotional when Morty told Rick “I miss you, man” and when Rick admitted their relationship was abusive.

“Rickmurai Jack”

Lore, lore, lore! How do you like it? Hopefully you like it lots because “Rickmurai Jack” is chock full of the stuff!

The Rick and Morty team, however, absolutely hate it! Well, they can’t totally hate it, or they wouldn’t have bothered to make this episode, but they definitely have an acrimonious relationship with continuity and canon. Dan Harmon has stated before that giving Rick a tragic backstory would ruin the character and Rick himself reaffirms that opinion in the episode. In fact, the writers can’t help themselves in breaking the fourth wall throughout to remind us how much Rick hates canon and how it’s better to “keep it episodic.”

It’s understandable why they resent canon. It’s got to be much easier to write one-off, funny sci-fi adventures than to sustain serialized plots told over multiple episodes. Unfortunately for them, way the hell back in season one Rick and Morty destroyed their universe, killed alternate universe versions of themselves, and took their places. The series kept this plot point intact, referencing it later, and also gradually made Morty’s character more jaded in response to this, as well as the many other horrors he witnessed. In other words, they made this canon bed and now they have to have adventures in it (I know how this sounds and I’m fine with it).

Before it gets to all that serious canon, however, “Rickmurai Jack” has to honor the continuity of the previous episode by tidying away the stupid crow plot. The continuity is certainly sound: the crows weren’t funny in the last episode and they’re not funny in this one either! There’s an anime intro. There are villains whose names flash on the screen in big letters. There’s an arch-villain named CrowScare who has sex with Rick’s crows. Yeah. Fine. At least this part is done away with relatively quickly. (Side note: Odd that Rick becomes a bird-based superhero and yet there is nary a reference to Bird Person.)

Read more

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After this, the episode maintains the season five status quo by continuing to be unfunny. I don’t believe I laughed at this one at all, although I liked Evil Morty’s line, “I lied. That second seat’s a toilet.” The lack of comedy is a bit more forgivable, however, as “Rickmurai Jack” isn’t trying as hard to be funny. This really is the loreiest lorepisode they’ve ever done and so the focus is on backstory and continuity to do with Evil Morty’s long-gestating plan.

As one of the annoying nerds constantly complaining that this show doesn’t do enough character development anymore, I know I’m supposed to be thankful for this episode (Rick angrily says as much) and I am, somewhat. It’s cool to see Evil Morty again and to hear his awesome theme music. Personally, I was never asking for Rick backstory and I’m a bit surprised his origins more or less are just the easy answer of “dead wife” after all, but sure, that’s fine. More profound and fucked up is the origin of all the Mortys in the multiverse, engineered by Ricks to be the perfect sidekick.

I just wish all this development hadn’t been given to me, season five style, in such volume at such speed. The fact of the matter is I was straight-up confused about what the hell was going on sometimes. I understood Evil Morty’s plan enough to get that he’s extricating himself from the cycle of Ricks and Mortys (and maybe ending the cycle forever?), but where did he fly to? Did he kill every Rick and Morty ever except our protagonists and whoever they escaped with or just everyone in the Citadel for some reason? Did he remove all portal fluid from the multiverse? I also lost the plot of Rick’s backstory, not understanding why he was going around killing all these other Ricks until I watched it back and realized he was going after the Rick who had killed his wife and kid Beth; I still feel it could’ve been more clearly presented though. Also confusing was the sequence in Rick uses some of his blood to create Big Boy(?) who… transfers power to Rick when he’s attacked… or something?

Look, I know how this goes. I’m a stupid moron and the nerds in the comments will be more than ready to let me know that everything that was confusing to me was, in fact, completely obvious, duh-doy, and here’s why and I should stop watching the series, and so on, and so forth. However, something I’ve always marveled at (as I did only two episodes ago) with Rick and Morty is, despite how crazy and layered its ambitious plotting gets, I never lose track of what’s happening. So, either my very high IQ is dropping points or this shit was kind of confusing.

Regardless, it’s appreciated the creators of this show finally gave in and threw a bunch of continuity and canon in my whining face. It just would’ve been nicer if it had been delivered in a clearer way that was easier to process and to feel something about. Like, every time Evil Morty has appeared in the series, he’s been an intimidating and chilling presence. I did get chills when his theme song kicked in this time, but that was more of a Pavlovian response earned from his previous appearances. Otherwise, I was just bewildered by all the information being chucked at me. Still, if nothing else, it was certainly a cool-looking spectacle.

What’s best about this episode is what it sets up for the next season. Who knows how long they’ll stick with this, but it’s implied that Rick is out of portal juice, which makes him that much less god-like and which could maybe, finally, reintroduce some actual stakes into Rick and Morty instead of every episode being about a sarcastic unstoppable murderous sci-fi family. I truly do look forward to that.

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The other best thing is Mr. Poopybutthole’s profound advice that we should be brave enough to love the people who love us back. Thank you for your wisdom, Mr. Poopybutthole.

The post Rick and Morty Season 5 Finale Review appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[cryptobully-blog]

Extinction Review - A Giant Mess

http://cryptobully.com/extinction-review-a-giant-mess/

Extinction Review - A Giant Mess

Don’t let the AAA price tag fool you into thinking Extinction is a high-end product. It ain’t, and there’s nothing in the game–not even cutscenes–that come close to approaching the level of quality seen in its lavish, pre-launch cinematic trailer.

Discovering Extinction’s sub-standard quality is frustrating because its premise is very enticing, and there are moments early on when it feels like it’s primed to deliver. As a warrior who’s capable of sprinting up walls, soaring through the air, and channeling sacred energy to tap into supernatural strength, you go toe-to-toe against incredibly tall and powerful giants. Taking them down requires you to lop off limbs and dismantle armor, building up enough energy to deliver a killing blow: a whirlwind slice through the back of their neck. Yes, it’s obviously inspired by Attack on Titan–you even have a whip that can be used to latch onto hook points and pull yourself through the air.

Zipping across a city to reach a faraway objective, with your character effortlessly scaling walls and bouncing off treetops and canopies to avoid touching the ground altogether, can be enjoyable. And the early battles against the first few giants definitely strike a chord, with their impressive scale and intricately textured body parts giving their artificial bodies a dash of realism. It’s all well and good while you’re learning the ropes, but these initial thrills fade fast. Extinction quickly transitions into an incredibly repetitive game that fails to build upon its promising foundation.

The excitement of battling giants–easily the game’s most admirable piece–wanes quickly. Despite the variations that appear over time, their behavior barely deviates from the standards set early on. Most often, you’re merely challenged to target different types of vulnerable objects that bind their armor together, but as you pour points into the upgrade tree to unlock things like extended slow-motion attacks, your character’s abilities scale quickly enough that these added steps are no more than inconvenient speed bumps in practice.

In order to get to the back of a giant’s neck to take it out for good, you will most often need to cut off one of its legs to make it fall to the ground. Alternatively, some giants have bits and pieces that you can latch onto with your whip, though this system is largely too cumbersome to rely upon. It’s very easy for the game to misinterpret its auto targeting and send you flying in the opposite-than-intended direction. Rather than a fun and reliable mainstay, your grapple ability is relegated to Plan-B status.

Nine times out of ten, a hit from a giant means instant death. Your only defensive options are to keep your distance–not always easy, given how close you need to be to cut off their limbs off–or to dodge out of harm’s way before an incoming strike. Giants are so big that these attacks often come without warning, save for small red icons that appear near your character’s head that are easy to miss while scrambling to simultaneously attack and stay alive.

Should you die, you respawn back into the stage with all your progress intact, but being brought back to life in this way sometimes puts you at an unreasonable disadvantage. Each stage is filled with buildings that giants will gradually destroy until interrupted; when the city is totally leveled, you fail the mission. Many times you respawn at the entry point of a location, which forces you to sprint back all the way back to the fight while a giant whittles away at the remaining buildings in your absence. In light of the great potential for one-hit deaths, being sent back to the beginning of the stage doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

Extinction is made by Iron Galaxy, a studio with experience making fighting games. There are reminders of fighting game mechanics within but any depth hinted at by the presence of super-armor and invincibility frames is shot down when you get a glimpse at the three combo lists. Practically every combo is executed with a single button and is only mixed up depending on when you decide to hold it down or delay the next input. Not that you need to master these skills in the first place. You can’t damage giants with basic attacks, and smaller enemies are too dumb to put up a good fight.

And if you thought your sword, which is capable of slicing a giant’s arm off, would be able to make quick work of an enemy 10 times smaller, you’d be wrong. The same attack you use to slice through bone a meter thick will only kill the most basic type of enemy, leaving others with plenty of health left over to keep fighting.

During missions where your only goal is to rescue citizens, the game arbitrarily changes the rules of engagement, but even then, not consistently. Most stages allow you to activate rescue towers at a normal rate regardless of the number of low-level enemies in the area. But in some rescue missions, suddenly it’s “too dangerous” to attempt to activate a tower with nearby monsters, a proclamation from your partner that causes the charge rate to drop to unreasonably slow levels. But in later instances this is no longer the case, and rescue missions can be completed in two minutes or less as a result. Whether by design or by accident, there’s a fundamental lack of consistency; some stages change the primary objective after you complete the task presented to you at the start, which, given the destructibility of cities, can put you in an unexpectedly frustrating position.

Perhaps the game’s most damning quality is the fact that its story missions are often set in procedurally generated environments. That isn’t bad in theory, but Extinction’s random stages are typically flat and incredibly similar, and they aren’t even in predetermined locations, which completely nullifies any chance of connecting with the story at hand. If giants level a city in one mission, how is it suddenly rebuilt in the next? Your guess is as good as mine. Likewise, the random generation of locations and giants (and their arrangement) can change the difficulty of a particular level from one playthrough to the next. You never quite know if you should press on during a challenging run, or just re-roll and try out a different permutation from scratch.

The story driving you through all of this is told primarily through conversations at the start and the end of a mission. In both cases, the in-game world freezes and static portraits pop up, along with a frustratingly small text box that can only fit two lines of text at a time, even when far more is usually said. While you watch text scroll through this box, dialogue is read aloud at a snail’s pace by decent voice actors trapped behind hackneyed writing. The skip button quickly becomes your best friend.

You do get 2D cutscenes between missions on very rare occasions, but the hand drawn art is rough. The fact that only some cutscenes are properly animated while others are storyboard-grade stop-motion is guaranteed to cause concern. Even the game’s ending, arguably a pivotal moment deserving of some investment in cinematic flair, is of the stop-motion variety, no more impressive than dressed-up placeholder art.

Extinction shoots itself in the foot time and time again. It’s so frustrating to see its good ideas buried under repetitive missions, a forgettable story, and embarrassing production values for its AAA price. Play one hour of it and you’ve basically done a bit of everything it has to offer; then it’s rinse and repeat for as long as you can bear to stick with it. It’s a frail and monotonous game destined for the bargain bin.

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